Miguel Lora vs Alberto Davila 2

Miguel Lora retained the World Boxing Council bantamweight championship by a unanimous 12-round decision over Alberto Davila at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, California, on 1 August 1988. The Colombian champion and his challenger each weighed the division limit of 118 pounds. Lora entered unbeaten in 30 professional contests and was making the seventh defence of the championship he had won from Daniel Zaragoza three years earlier. Davila, approaching his 34th birthday and contesting a world bantamweight title for the seventh time, was attempting to regain a championship he had previously held. The men had met once before, in Barranquilla in November 1986, when Lora won a clear decision before a crowd reported at 50,000. Their second meeting was held before 7,329 spectators, including heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, on a Don King and Forum Boxing promotion which also featured Julio Cesar Chavez in a non-title contest.

Davila began with purpose and took advantage of Lora’s unhurried opening. The champion spent much of the first round watching, feinting and boxing at long range, while Davila advanced behind a steady output and made the more positive impression. The challenger repeated the work in the second, closing the distance and forcing Lora to give ground. Both Miguel Donate and Ray Solis awarded Davila the opening two rounds, while Arsenio Garcia called the first even and gave Davila the second. Lora remained composed, but his habit of smiling and posing during the early stages allowed Davila to establish the tempo and encouraged the local support.

The contest altered in the third round. Lora discovered that he could meet the shorter Davila near the centre of the ring rather than conceding space around the perimeter. From there, his advantages in height, reach and accuracy became more important. He began to stand his ground, shorten his punches and strike Davila as the challenger came forward. Lora took the third on all three official cards and continued the work in the fourth, when his cleaner combinations and control of distance gave him command. Davila was still willing and busy, but he was required to pass through Lora’s punches before bringing his own hands into range. The champion’s scoring was increasingly direct, while Davila’s work became more laborious.

The crowd attempted to lift Davila during the fifth, chanting his name as he continued to press. His persistence brought him the round on all three cards, but it proved to be his last clear success. Lora increased his pace in the sixth and began landing heavily at closer quarters. A cut opened above Davila’s left eye during the session, and the champion’s superior accuracy was now producing visible damage. Donate, and Solis gave Lora the round, while Garcia scored it even. By this point the contest had settled into a firm pattern: Davila advanced and threw willingly, but Lora met him with the straighter punches, moved just far enough to avoid the return and resumed his attack before Davila could reset.

The cut worsened during the seventh, although Davila showed no inclination to withdraw. Lora controlled the exchanges and swept the round on the official cards. When the bell sounded for the eighth, blood from Davila’s left eyebrow had already travelled halfway down his cheek before he reached the centre of the ring. It did not flow directly into the eye, and referee John Thomas found no cause to seek a stoppage. Davila remained aggressive, but his pressure lacked the sharpness of the opening rounds. Lora could see the attacks coming, block or step aside and answer with compact punches to the head. He won the eighth on every card and did the same in the ninth, when a further cut appeared over Davila’s right eye. By then the challenger was bleeding from several places, and Lora’s own body and clothing were becoming marked by Davila’s blood.

There was an unusual interruption near the end of the ninth round when a white towel was thrown into the ring from the crowd. Lora’s cornermen, believing it had come from Davila’s corner, entered and began celebrating. The towel had in fact been thrown by a spectator. California Athletic Commission officer Marty Denkin restrained the man until ushers removed him, and the contest resumed. Davila’s corner had not surrendered, nor did the challenger wish them to do so. He continued into the tenth with the same determination, but the result was no longer in serious doubt. Lora maintained his measured attack, controlled the centre and won the tenth on all three cards.

Davila never ceased trying. He continued to throw through the eleventh and twelfth rounds despite the blood covering much of his face. Lora did not become careless or allow the contest to turn into an exchange of desperation. He remained the taller, more accurate boxer, kept Davila in front of him and finished the championship rounds in control. Donate and Solis awarded both of the last two rounds to Lora. Garcia scored the eleventh even and the twelfth for the champion. At the final bell, Davila had completed the distance, but his courage had not been sufficient to overcome the champion’s clearer punching and authority over the greater part of the fight.

The official scores were 117–111 from Miguel Donate, 117–111 from Ray Solis and 118–113 from Arsenio Garcia. The Los Angeles Times scored the contest 118–111 for Lora. The champion received a purse of $75,000, while Davila earned $25,000. Davila did not announce his retirement immediately afterwards, although the defeat proved to be the final contest of his long professional career. Lora’s victory advanced his record to 31–0 and preserved his championship, though he lost the title less than three months later when Raul Perez outpointed him in Las Vegas.

Events in Lora’s corner briefly overshadowed the result. During the fifth round, commission officials confiscated two bottles and packets after noticing that the champion had taken a substance between rounds. Tests later showed sucrose in the water and packets, contrary to rules permitting only plain water. One urine examination was reported positive for amphetamines, while a second sample tested negative and irregularities in the collection procedure raised further questions. Various sanctions were considered, including the possibility of altering the result, but the decision remained a victory for Lora. Whatever uncertainty followed outside the ring, the action itself had produced a clear verdict. Davila had made the stronger start and fought with exceptional resolve under severe punishment, but Lora took control from the third round, inflicted the damaging cuts, and won the later rounds by a substantial margin.

Miguel Lora was a special talent who, in my opinion, never got the plaudits he deserved. His defensive skills were a thing of beauty to those who appreciate such things. Former champion Davila was one of those guys loved by his local boxing fans, who supported him all the way to the WBC crown. Lora had already beaten Alberto Davila in Colombia and entered the rematch unbeaten, but Davila’s experience and pressure gave him the opening two rounds.

From the third, Lora took control. He stopped retreating, held his ground and used his height, timing and short combinations to catch Davila coming forward. Cuts opened over both of Davila’s eyes, yet the veteran refused to quit.

The scores of 117–111 twice and 118–113 were fair. Davila brought courage, but Lora showed the craft, adjusted properly and won clearly.